Section Paloise confirmed on Monday a two-season extension for hooker Youri Delhommel, who is now tied to the Béarn club until June 2029. His previous contract ran until 2027.
“His consistency, reliability and commitment make Youri an essential player in the balance of our team,” said manager Sébastien Piqueronies.
The club describes him as a centurion, and our data confirms the figure to the match: 115 appearances in a Pau shirt since arriving from Montpellier in summer 2021, for 3,659 minutes and 14 tries.
Slow progress, then a seven-try season
| Season | Matches | Starts | Minutes | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 19 | 6 | 381 | 2 |
| 2022-2023 | 25 | 9 | 552 | 2 |
| 2023-2024 | 20 | 7 | 719 | 2 |
| 2024-2025 | 26 | 14 | 1,052 | 1 |
| 2025-2026 | 25 | 10 | 955 | 7 |
Two things stand out. His playing time grew two and a half times between his first and fifth seasons, without him becoming an undisputed starter: ten starts in twenty-five appearances last year. He is a finisher, used in the second half of matches.
Above all, he scored seven tries in one season, having scored seven in the four years before. For a hooker, that is a rare return, and it owes a lot to the driving maul.
His profile has been updated in our database: contract end moved to 2029.
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